From turning on lights and opening doors to putting a can in the recycling bin, service dogs perform various tasks that improve the well-being, security and independence of their human partners.
One of the nation’s leading service dog organizations is Freedom Service Dogs of America (FSD), which started in 1987 as a two-person operation in Michael and PJ Roche’s Denver home.
“After Michael sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident, PJ trained a service dog to help him build his independence, and soon they became pioneers in the field,” says Lea Wilson, FSD’s grants and foundation relations manager. “Since our founding 37 years ago, FSD has graduated more than 550 client-dog teams nationwide at no cost to the clients.”
In 2022, FSD received its most recent and largest Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grant for $25,000. The funds supported several puppy program trainers and the Colorado Correctional Industries' Prison Trained K-9 Companion Program fees for training 84 puppies.
“It takes about two years for our dogs, mostly labs and golden retrievers, to become fully trained. Dogs younger than two have too much energy,” says Wilson. “Our partnership with the correctional system is an important part of the process.”
At eight weeks old, the puppies are brought to one of two Denver-area correctional facilities where 18 inmates have been trained to teach the dogs house skills, like walking on a leash and going to the bathroom outside. The puppies remain with the inmates for two months and then spend the next year with one of FSD’s “puppy-raiser” volunteers in six states.
“It is hard to find volunteers to take the puppies if they are not house trained. We started the inmate program in 2009, and it has been very successful,” says Wilson. “It is a wonderful socialization training opportunity for the puppies and provides huge emotional and psychological benefits for the inmates.”
Studies find that dog training reduces anxiety and depression and increases empathy and compassion while contributing to a sense of purpose and responsibility. It also builds transferable employment skills after an inmate’s release.
“The U.S. has a huge pet economy, from pet shops to doggy daycares. This program is a powerful tool for skill development and may lower recidivism rates,” says Wilson.
FSD graduates roughly 30 dogs per year. Thanks to the grant’s support, five individuals with a spinal cord injury received a custom-trained service dog free of charge.